A familiar face has given Nazeeh Johnson a place to land.
NFL reporter Jordan Schultz broke the news that the Tennessee Titans, under general manager Mike Borgonzi, have signed Johnson as teams prepare to get back into training camp before a new year. Johnson spent the last four seasons as a defensive back with the Kansas City Chiefs before hitting free agency for the first time this spring.
Johnson's contract year was ruined before it began. A shoulder injury in the Chiefs' second preseason game against Seattle landed him on injured reserve, and he spent the bulk of the regular season watching from the sidelines. The Chiefs activated him in late December, giving him a chance to earn scant playing time only on special teams in two games.
It was the second such hurdle for Johnson, who'd already battled back from a season-ending injury in 2023 suffered in the preseason as well. A torn ACL robbed Johnson of his sophomore year in the league, but he proved capable of not only coming back healthy but able to climb the depth chart. Johnson would play in 16 games for the Chiefs in '24, starting 6 of them, with season totals of 56 tackles, 3 pass deflections, and 1 sack.
Nazeeh Johnson will be joining former Chiefs cornerback Joshua Williams in Tennessee's training camp.
That Johnson ever made the Chiefs in the first place is a minor miracle. He was a late seventh-round pick in 2022, and was able to make the team despite the fact that four other rookie defensive backs made the team from the same class. Johnson would earn the trust of special teams coach Dave Toub that year and made 11 appearances for the Chiefs.
After finishing his rookie contract, Johnson was slow to find suitors in free agency at first while his draftmates moved on to new environs. Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson hit the West Coast to play for the Rams. Joshua Williams followed Borgonzi, a former Chiefs assistant GM, to Tennessee. Safety Bryan Cook landed a big payday in free agency from the Bengals.
Johnson received a bit of free-agent interest earlier this summer, including a visit with the Philadelphia Eagles, but nothing materialized in the moment. Now, in Tennessee, he's got a chance to join an ascending young team in the AFC in the hopes of rewarding Borgonzi's steadfast belief in him as a player.
Johnson has 66 tackles, 3 deflections, and 1 sack in 29 regular-season games over the last four years. He also has playing time in six more postseason games during K.C.'s championship runs.
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